Much has happened recently in the field of waste management and this has had a strong impact on the handling of used tires. This Rapra Industry Analysis Report provides up-to-date data and comment about the progress in the UK, Europe and North America in the handling of the problem of used tires once removed from vehicles. Legislation in Europe is concentrating the minds of authorities and operators alike, to provide sustainable solutions to the recovery and recycling of these tires and to maximize the benefit from such activity. The report considers the various options for the recovery and recycling of used tires. A brief description of tire construction and design is accompanied by discussion of trends in tire manufacturing and how these may affect subsequent recycling. After an analysis of the retread industry and its relevance to the recycling issues, the different routes that a non-retreadable tire may take are examined: rubber crumb production, pyrolysis, reclaim rubber and other chemical or thermal processes that yield a selection of end products. The processes involved and the applications of the resulting materials are discussed. Recovery of energy from used Tires by incineration and the techniques involved is also reviewed. The regulatory initiatives and legislative pressures likely to affect the management of end-of-life tires are considered with discussion of the situation in Europe, North America and Japan. Estimates are providedfor the quantities of tires involved. Analysis of these figures allows comparison between the various recycling activities and the emerging trends are discussed. The report is of interest to a range of different sectors from those responsible for waste management, regulatory bodies and local authorities through retreaders and recyclers to those who make rubber-containing products or who plan to enhance value from the materials contained in end-of-life tires.

Peter W. Dufton graduated from Cambridge University in materials Science before taking a research degree for work on mechanical properties of high strength aircraft materials. He joined Dunlop in 1970 to work on tire reinforcement materials before moving within the company to technical support and product development in the Overseas Division. This was followed by a period as Overseas Business Development Manager in Dunlop Adhesives. Since joining Rapra in 1987, as a consultant in the business analysis and publishing areas, he has undertaken multi-client work in the field of market research on a range of topics. These include tires, fire-related matters, wire and cable and various other end-use sectors for the polymers, individual polymer materials development and compounding additives. He is also the author of several reports in the Rapra Industry Analysis Series.